The Joy Of Giving

Tuesday, July 08, 2003

This 4th of July, we participated in Mayor Penelas’ Health and Fitness Challenge where we gave realization to almost 80 people at the Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah, Florida. This is a year-long program that promotes physical exercise, nutrition and stress management. Mayor Alex Penelas seeks to significantly increase health and fitness awareness and education in the Miami-Dade County community.

Throughout the day, there was a constant flow of people coming to get their realization. Even before we had a chance to arrange our tent, people were asking about Sahaja Yoga. There were no Spanish speakers amongst us for the first half of the day; however, we still managed to give them their realization.

With our broken-Spanish, we seemed to have better responses with the Spanish seekers than we did with some of the English speakers. It was really something.

There were a few other types of yogas next to our tent, however we were rather unique according to a Miami Herald reporter, who came to our booth and interviewed some of the people who had just received their realization. The reporter said that she did not go around to every booth in the park, but somehow she felt that there was something special about Sahaja Yoga.

One man who was working for the Mayor asked us if we would be interested in holding meetings in other areas around Miami Dade County; he even offered to put our meetings in the Calendar of Events section on their website.

We all had a wonderful time talking to people about Sahaja Yoga and giving them realization. We hope that the seekers come back to our follow-ups and recognize the beauty and grandeur of Sahaja Yoga.

On this day we learned that Shri Mataji is the Real Doer. Her Love really does go beyond words. Although this understanding is not something new for any of us, it is at this time that it comes up to the surface of our being.

Giving realization allows us to put our faith, our knowledge into practice, and that is when we experience the Joy of Giving.

Jai Shri Mataji!

Sahaja Yoga Flourishes over Martin Luther King Weekend in South Florida

Thursday, January 23, 2003

On January 18th and 19th a divine cool breeze descended upon Florida bringing near freezing temperatures to the South Florida Folk Fest. These unseasonably cool temperatures did not deter a group of dedicated and determined yogis in Fort Lauderdale to spread the word about Sahaja Yoga. Hundreds of flyers were handed out and more than 50 folk fest participants from around the USA received their self realization.

While folk music and contra dancing abounded on stages throughout the park, vendors were showing their wares and Shri Mataji was working through Her instruments to explain what Sahaja Yoga is and to raise the kundalini of willing participants.

The most beautiful part of this weekend experience was the sweetness and gratitude expressed by the participants after they received their self-realization. They were so moved by the experience and so surprised to see that a booth for Sahaja Yoga would be clustered among the sunglass and music CD venders, chair-massage therapists, animal activists and clothing vendors. Never did they expect to find what they were searching for among those booths. They were also surprised and relieved to learn that there is never a charge for Sahaja Yoga meditation.

To prepare for this event, a vendor booth was reserved, a sandwich board was build, posters were printed, "Ask me about Sahaja Yoga" buttons were donned and flyers were printed for distribution. Ideas for all of these techniques were gathered during the back-to-back pujas in LA last fall and helped to make participation at this event successful.

The folk fest took place during the holiday weekend designated to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, the African-American civil rights activist that is best remembered for his moving speech beginning with the words "I have a dream…." His hard work and dedication brought inspiration to his followers while his accomplishments have made an enormous difference in the lives of African-Americans everywhere.

The Sahaja yogis of the Florida Collective have a dream, too. Our dream is to spread Sahaja Yoga by giving self-realizations, thus honoring Shri Mataji, to inspire by example and make a difference in the lives of the people that we reach.

Jai Shri Mataji
Judy Langelier, West Palm Beach, Florida